HUMBOLDT — Humboldt’s Maddox Johnson finished his high school sports career by taking a fourth place medal in the javelin at the Class 3A state meet.
Johnson threw the javelin for a personal-record distance of 175 feet, 9 inches.
“This year was so special because I sacrificed a lot and put in a lot of hard work and I finally got some satisfaction out of the hard work,” said Johnson.
Johnson’s previous best throw was 163’2” at regionals in Fredonia. He also threw the discus and shot put.
Johnson can still remember his medal-winning throw as if it were yesterday.
“I got a little more speed and let it go. I was hoping to get in the high 160s.”
“When they read off 175 it was a big rush,” said Johnson.
In his sophomore year, Johnson qualified for state in the discus and in his junior year in the javelin and shot put. The Cub doesn’t recall finishing above 12th place at the state level in those events.
“Right after the state meet last year is when the flip switched for me,” Johnson said. “I figured out what needed to be done to get where I needed to be. It didn’t matter how I felt, I just got up every day and worked toward that goal. You have to obsess over it and be disciplined.”
The javelin has become one of Johnson’s most prized sports, right beside football. The senior hopes to leave an example that hard work and dedication can result in greater unexpected outcomes. At least that’s how the javelin turned out for Johnson.
“I think they see what hard work can do and just the desire of wanting to do something,” said Johnson. “If you really want to do something that bad, you have to take action. That’s what I try to tell my teammates to push them harder.”
“I just love working at getting better and watching it fly through the air. The feeling of a perfect throw are things I’ve become fond of. It’s a sport that requires a lot of training.
It’s really important to be smooth and powerful rather than explosive and just trying to throw far,” Johnson continued. “You have to retrain your body to think differently.”
